Yoga for Prana

07/02/2026

To my dear friends on the path,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and well.

Yesterday, as I was loading plants into the van for the market, I bumped my shin hard into the tow ball. One of those moments where you stop, refrain from swearing out loud, take a breath, and think, well… that just happened. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was enough to get my attention.

It’s not the first time I’ve done it. It usually happens when I’m moving faster than my awareness, my body doing one thing while my mind is already onto the next. When attention drifts, coordination often follows.

Those moments when you bump into a doorframe, trip over nothing, or knock over your water bottle (again) can feel frustrating or even embarrassing. But through the lens of yoga, they can also be gentle messengers.

Clumsiness often shows up when our attention is scattered. Our bodies are here, but our minds are replaying conversations, planning tomorrow, or pushing ahead faster than our nervous system can comfortably keep up with.

Sometimes it’s also a sign of fatigue. When we’re tired, overstimulated, or overwhelmed, the subtle communication between brain, muscles, and breath can feel a little fuzzy. The body isn’t failing us, it’s asking us to slow down.

In our practice, this becomes an invitation.
An invitation to ground the feet and feel the floor beneath us.
To soften the jaw, relax the eyes, and reconnect with the breath.
To move a little slower - notice a little more.

I’m continually humbled by the reminder that balance isn’t about never wobbling. It’s about noticing the wobble and responding with patience instead of judgment. Every time we lose balance and gently return, we’re practicing resilience.

So if you find yourself bumping into things this week, take it as a pause, not a problem. Breathe. Smile. Come back to your body. It’s already guiding you home. Join me as we explore clumsiness, proprioception and awareness.

07/02/2026

Massage train ... the best way to finish an early morning session 🌄

04/02/2026

To my dear friends on the path,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and well.

With the children heading back to school next week, there’s often a noticeable shift in the rhythm of our home and lives. Mornings become busier. Lunchboxes are packed. Bags are checked. Bedtimes become a little more structured. The gentle looseness of holidays begins to give way to routine once again.

And while this transition can feel grounding, it can also feel challenging.

This season is a beautiful reminder of how much our wellbeing is shaped by the patterns we live within — the way we wake, the way we begin our days, the way we move through work, family, and responsibilities. These daily routines quietly hold us. Some support us deeply. Some feel heavy. Some may no longer fit who we are now.

At the same time, alongside routine, we each have our own inner rhythm.

Our natural flow of energy. Times when we feel open and alive. Times when we feel quieter and more inward. Moments when we need movement. Moments when we need rest.

Just as children thrive when structure and flexibility work together, so do we.

I like the image of a river. Routine is the riverbank, it gives shape, direction, and safety. Rhythm is the water, flowing, changing, responsive. When the riverbank and the water work together, the river moves smoothly. When one is ignored, there is struggle.

In this weeks classes we are focusing on weaving routines and rhythms in a way that truly nourishes you.

You are allowed to be organised and gentle. Committed and compassionate. Steady and fluid.

I hope to practice with you in person, or online …

04/02/2026

To my dear friends on the path,

Having a hypoxic brain injury nearly two decades ago changed the trajectory of my life. Life as I knew it was suddenly different. My mind no longer worked the same way. I didn’t know who I was. There was a sense of vacancy - of being lost.

Memory issues, fatigue, and word retrieval became my greatest challenges.

It took years to recover, and even longer to accept this new normal. Along the way, I came to experience firsthand just how malleable the mind truly is, how the brain is always changing, adapting, rewiring. Learning to be at peace with the way my mind works, and understanding how best to support it, has become a deep and enduring interest of mine.

I know that when I am tired, stressed, or overwhelmed, my cognitive abilities suffer. Like a deer in headlights, my system shifts into fight-or-flight. The brain prioritises survival over storage. Attention narrows. The breath shortens. Memory becomes foggy, fragmented, elusive. Words hover just out of reach. Moments slip through my fingers.

This is something I know not just intellectually, but intimately.

And this is where yoga becomes such a powerful ally.

When we slow the breath, soften the gaze, and move with awareness, we signal safety to the nervous system. The mind settles. The body listens. The brain is no longer bracing — it becomes receptive.

Regulation is something we can all benefit from and when it comes to the brain, there are many preventative practices we can implement to optimise our cognitive health now and sustain it for years to come.

Whether you are 20, 50, or 80, as sharp as a tact or noticing some decline, brain health is vital for living a long and independent life. Alzheimer’s is the most feared age-related conditions, yet its so common to not take action on supporting the brains health until cognitive impairment.

For today, prioritize you. The health of your body, the health of your mind. The motivation doesn't have to be from a 'scare' or 'crisis'

27/01/2026

To my dear friends on the path,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and well.

The knees are often easy to overlook ... until they ask for our attention.

I’ve been experiencing recurring knee pain for some time now. It began three years ago after I rolled my ankle, then intensified while I was training for a marathon. I stopped running and shifted toward strength training, yet the discomfort has resurfaced. So last week, I had an X-ray and a visit to the podiatrist. Nothing dramatic, but enough to remind me just how interconnected the body is, and how important it is to listen early rather than push through or ignore the signs.

The knees sit between two powerful players: the hips and the feet. They don’t like being forced or ignored. They like support, alignment, strength, and time. When something above or below isn’t working optimally, the knees often carry the load.

In our practice, knee discomfort is rarely about the knees alone. It can be about how we stand, how we walk, how we load our weight, and how much tension we unconsciously hold. It can also reflect fatigue, stress, or a nervous system that’s doing a little too much bracing.

Yoga invites us to approach the knees with curiosity rather than judgement: strengthening without gripping, mobilising without forcing, resting without guilt. Small adjustments matter.

If like me, you feel knee sensitivity, know that it’s not a failure of your body, it’s information. And when we respond with care, clarity often follows.

Right now, my practice is less about depth and more about intelligence. Less pushing, more listening. More support from the feet, more freedom in the hips, and a lot more compassion.

In this weeks classes we are exploring, you guess it ... the knees.

P.S. For home practice, we’ll be using a chair and a tennis ball. If you have one, have it close by when you log in.

Hope to practice with you in person, or online

11/01/2026

Today's vision board workshop left me feeling uplifted and inspired. Maya saw what was created and was motivated to create her first one! Powerful and purposeful 💖

02/01/2026

We grow for one of two reasons: a compelling vision or a breaking point.
One is empowering. The other is urgent. Either way, change demands movement.
Which one’s driving you right now: inspiration or desperation?

28/12/2025

To my dear friends on the path,

Two years ago, I pasted on my vision board, the image on the left. 4 weeks ago, I took the photos on the right.

My goal of getting a six-pack wasn't a vanity project, it was a personal challenge to affirm my belief that I could do anything I set my mind to. I worked at it—consistently, intentionally, wholeheartedly. Two years of focus and dedication.

Along the way, I grew. I learned that discipline is a form of self-respect … and that sometimes the goals we set evolve as we evolve.

To get visible abs, I needed to loose body fat, as I started to lessen calories, small signals began to appear. Migraines. Fatigue. Mood changes. Hormones shifting. I noticed I wasn’t showing up in the world—or on the mat—the way I truly want to.

I found myself at a crossroads.

My mind was clinging tightly to the goal. It wanted to prove something. To myself… and if I’m honest, to the people who laughed when I first said I wanted this. Pride whispered, “Keep going. Don’t let them be right.”

But my heart knew better.

The cost was beginning to outweigh the benefit.

Yes, I could have continued on, pushed harder, got more definition. I know my nature, when I commit, I follow through. But pressing on would have meant trading the very essence of what I value most - health, strength, joy, presence, and authenticity - for a goal that no longer served the whole of who I am.

It’s taken me some time to fully admit this. A part of me, perhaps the little girl who fears failure, worried that letting go of this goal meant my word would lose its power. That somehow everything else would unravel.

But yoga teaches us discernment.

There is a difference between giving up and letting go.

Giving up comes from fear.
Letting go comes from wisdom.

So I am choosing to let go. Not because I can’t achieve this goal, I know that I could, but because achieving it would require sacrificing what matters more.

For today, choose alignment over attachment. Place the wisdom of your heart above the grip of the mind. Know that you are capable of achieving any goal you commit to—when it is aligned with your values, your wellbeing, and your truth.

With love and integrity, Christina x

14/12/2025

To my dear friends on the path,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and well.

At home this week, our little Elf on the Shelf has brought so much joy. Watching the children wake up each morning with that sense of awe and wonder ... eyes wide, hearts open, completely captivated by the possibility of magic.

There’s something so precious about seeing the world through their eyes. That innocent belief that anything can happen. That life is full of surprises, delight, and sparkle.

It made me think about how much our minds love magic, even as adults. We crave the feeling that something extraordinary could happen at any moment.

And, of course, our modern world knows this.
We are constantly bombarded by promises of “miracle solutions”:

Get happy, get rich, get thin, get organised. The 12-week course that will transform your life.
The cream that turns back time. The “before and after” photos that insist you could become a new person in the blink of an eye.

So much of our marketing taps into this longing. It tells us: The magic is out there — buy it, achieve it, become it.

But yoga offers a different kind of magic.

It’s not loud or flashy. It doesn’t promise instant transformation or a shiny new version of yourself.
There’s no “before and after,” only “here I am, and here I am again.”

What it does offer is far more real:

✨ Tools that support us, gently and consistently
✨ Practices that create change from the inside out
✨ Awareness that helps us see ourselves more clearly
✨ Space to breathe, soften, strengthen, and grow
✨ Presence that reconnects us with what matters
✨ Wisdom that unfolds slowly, like dawn light
✨ A return to ourselves

This week our focus is on magic. The magic of presence. The magic of breath. The magic of simply showing up.

03/12/2025

This month's newsletter... the power of vision

There’s a quickening in the air, a fullness in my days, a feeling that everything is happening all at once. The calendar packs itself, the to-do lists seem to grow overnight, and even the joyful parts; celebrations, family traditions, end-of-year gatherings, can leave me feeling stretched in more ...

02/12/2025

🧘‍♀️

18/11/2025

To my dear friends on the path,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones well.

Two years ago, I was lying in bed after wrist surgery, wondering if I would ever be able to use my arms without pain again. The simplest actions, brushing my hair, holding a cup of tea, supporting myself on the mat, felt impossibly far away. After months of pain prior to surgery and the uncertainty after, I wasn’t sure how, or even if, my body would recover, repair, and renew.

I have to be mindful of the way I use my hands, wrists and arms but today, I’m reminded what a privilege it is to move freely ... to feel both capable and connected.

When we bear weight through our arms, we’re reminded of how much they do for us, not only in the shapes we create, but in the way they connect us to the world. They hold, lift, push away, pull close. They are the bridge between effort and expression, between our heart and the space around us.

In this way, our arms mirror our relationships. They teach us how to extend without overreaching, how to support without losing ourselves, and how to open our hearts while staying grounded. Just as in the body, harmony arises when strength meets softness, when we balance giving and receiving, holding and releasing, action and rest.

This week’s practice is all about the arms ... finding that delicate balance between stability and surrender. It’s an invitation to explore what it means to be supported from within, so that our connections with others can flow with more ease and authenticity.

As we prepare for The Art of Harmonious Relationships workshop in Braidwood on Friday night, may our physical practice remind us that every relationship - with others, with our body, with life itself - begins in the same place: the willingness to move from the heart.

May your arms, your actions, and your presence be guided by both strength and grace.